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Untangling the Tangled Bank: A Novel Method for Partitioning the Effects of Phylogenies and Traits on Ecological Networks

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Abstract

Understanding how evolutionary and ecological processes shape species interaction networks remains as one of the main challenges in eco-evolutionary studies. Here, we present an integrative analytical framework to partition the effects of phylogenies and functional traits on the structure of ecological networks. The method combines fuzzy set theory and matrix correlation, implemented under a Monte Carlo framework. We designed a simulation study in order to estimate the accuracy of the methods proposed here, measuring Type I Error rates. The simulation study shows that the method is accurate, i.e., incorrectly rejecting a true null hypothesis in ~5% of the cases and falling within the confidence interval. We illustrate our framework using data from a seed dispersal network from southern Brazil. Our analyses suggest that birds must have specific traits in order to consume their plant resources, and that phylogenetic resemblance has no explanatory power for species traits and species interactions in this seed-dispersal network.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Mathias M. Pires, Michael R. Willig, Milton Mendonça Jr., Rafael A. Dias and Sandy Andelman for kindly reviewing the first draft of this manuscript. Andreas Kindel, Paulo I. K. L. Prado, Sandra C. Müller and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable suggestions that greatly improved this manuscript. We also thank Rafael A. Dias and Guilherme D. dos Santos Seger for all the assistance building the phylogenies. Funding for the development of this project was provided by CAPES-Brazil and by the National Science Foundation (The Dimensions of Biodiversity Distributed Graduate Seminar, Grant #1050680). VAGB received support from CAPES (Grant #1002302). VP received support from CNPq, Brazil (Grant #307689/2014-0). PRG was supported by FAPESP (Grant #2009/54422-8) and CNPq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Vinicius A. G. Bastazini, Bethânia O. Azambuja, Grasiela Casas & Vanderlei J. Debastiani

  2. Departamento de Biodiversidade e Ecologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Pedro M. A. Ferreira

  3. Department of Ecology, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa 14, 05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Paulo R. Guimarães Jr.

  4. Department of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Valério D. Pillar

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  1. Vinicius A. G. Bastazini
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  2. Pedro M. A. Ferreira
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Bastazini, V.A.G., Ferreira, P.M.A., Azambuja, B.O. et al. Untangling the Tangled Bank: A Novel Method for Partitioning the Effects of Phylogenies and Traits on Ecological Networks. Evol Biol 44, 312–324 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-017-9409-8

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